Key Element Of A Successful Postcard Printing and Mailing Campaign
Postcards printing and mailing are advertising’s best kept secrets. According to a recent study published by the Target Marketing magazine, a tightly focused B2B publication, the most popular form of marketing for B2C and B2B marketers is direct mail as it brings about higher return on investment (ROI) than social media marketing. As far as postcard marketing is concerned, these marketing pieces are the most read form of adverts that are read by recipients. According to Direct Marketing Association (DMA), a trade organization for marketers, 52.5 percent of consumers report that they’ll read a postcard. While there is little doubt that mails and postcards work well for your campaigns, it is also important to know what key design elements you should include in these items to improve their effectiveness. Let’s take a closer look at each.
Key Design Elements of Postcard:
Remember all of those postcards you loved to collect as a child? In fact it is not only the kids that are drawn to these colorful pieces of art; many adults also find them fascinating. No need to tear open an envelope – they come pre-opened, instantly delivering your brand message right in the hands of your prospects. The good news is, well-designed postcards are very simple to create; you only have to keep four major aspects in mind. They include:
Simplicity: Keep it short and simple. Deliver your message in one or two crisp sentences. Make smart use of different colors and typefaces to manipulate your prospects’ attention to the crux of your message. In addition, use a bold headline to help customers quickly identify your point. Use separate colors to highlight your call-to-action point (a limited time discount, for example). Most importantly, there should be a lot of white space to give it an un-cluttered look and feel.
Imagery: When it comes to effective communication of your brand message, dumping any image won’t do. Besides being eye-catching, the image should be relevant to your product and services. Use a photograph that aptly describes your product or service’s benefits.
Size: Oversized postcards hardly escape your prospect’s attention, so settle on a six-inch by nine-inch size. Go for a six-inch by 11-inch card if you want some extra impact.
Logo: Being the integral part of any marketing material, your company logo should be central to your postcard design. Yes, you have guessed it right – it is important to establish a strong brand connection. Use it on the front and again on the back of the postcard, where you share contact information and other details about your company.
Mailing Elements:
Once again let us point out that well-designed mail pieces are not difficult to produce. Following are the key points to consider:
Visual Appearance: Grabbing attention is the primary goal of direct mails, and for this you need to sprinkle a vast array of visual stimuli such as colorful illustrations, bold heading, typographic accentuations et al across over your mail body, however not at the cause of cluttering it up.
Personalization: This factor stimulates interaction, and subsequently more engagement. Besides the recipient’s name and address, and a personal salutation, personalized mails should contain a real signature, preferably in a contrast color ink.
Striking Creative: Use eye-catching imageries or graphics to get your message noticed. It is important to associate the imagery to the benefits of your product, and also your offer. These pictorial elements are believed to trigger more efficient mental processing, subsequently putting your campaign on a fast track.
Information Intensity: Do not suffocate your customers with too much information. Fewer points against a lot of white space will let your key message stand out. Use too much text and your key points will be lost in translation.
As you can see, creating effective marketing pieces are not as complicated as it is generally believed. You must still consider hiring a reputed agency that knows well what ingredients work well for your postcard printing and mailing success. An effective campaign can go a long way to build brand awareness and generate response along with print and online advertising.
